No. 432 Squadron RCAF was a squadron of the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

formed during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

History

It was first formed at RAF Skipton-on-Swale in May 1943, as part of No. 6 Group of RAF Bomber Command. The unit was equipped with Wellington Mk.X bombers. The squadron deployed to

RAF East Moor Royal Air Force East Moor or RAF East Moor is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located north of York, North Yorkshire and south-east of Easingwold, North Yorkshire, England. The airfield was initially controlled by the Royal Air For ...

in mid-September, equipping with Lancaster Mk.IIs in October. In February 1944 they changed to Halifax Mk.IIIs, upgrading these to Halifax Mk.VIIs in July. As part of a Royal Canadian Air Force public relations plan, the town of

Leaside Leaside (/'liːˌsaɪd/) is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located northeast of Downtown Toronto, in the vicinity of Eglinton Avenue East and Bayview Avenue. The area takes its name from William Lea and the Lea family, who set ...

officially "adopted" No. 432 Squadron RCAF. Formed and adopted on 1 May 1943 the squadron took the town's name as its nickname, becoming 432 "Leaside" Squadron RCAF. The sponsorship lasted the duration of the war. The squadron was disbanded at East Moor in May, 1945. On October 1, 1954, it was reformed as a fighter squadron at

CFB Bagotville Canadian Forces Base Bagotville , commonly referred to as CFB Bagotville, and also known as Bagotville Airport or Saguenay-Bagotville Airport, is a Canadian Forces base located west of Bagotville in the city of Saguenay. Located in the centre ...

flying the Canadian designed

Avro CF-100 The Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck (affectionately known as the "Clunk") is a Canadian twinjet interceptor/ fighter designed and produced by aircraft manufacturer Avro Canada. It has the distinction of being the only Canadian-designed fighter to e ...

. The squadron was again disbanded on October 15, 1961. Manuel Sharko and Jack Stacy were mid-upper gunners in their respective Halifax bombers during the war.

References

*Book Reference: The East Moor Experience by Brian Shields

External links

* * * * * Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons Canadian Article XV squadrons of World War II Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1961 {{Canada-mil-hist-stub